The subject invention is directed toward the art of casting or molding and, more particularly, to an apparatus for mounting a pair of mold halves in a manner which permits molding of complex shapes which could previously be molded only by the use of complex multipart molds.
The invention is especially suited for molding turbine or fan blade assemblies and/or lost wax patterns for the same and will be described with reference thereto; however, as will become apparent, the invention is capable of broader application and could be used for producing other somewhat similar parts.
The manufacture of turbine and fan blade assemblies by casting typically requires complex lost wax patterns for the components themselves, or their cores. In the past, these patterns have been formed using complex multipart molds which required an extremely large amount of time-consuming manual assembly and disassembly. Alternatively, the patterns were molded in small sections and then laboriously joined to form the completed pattern.
As a result of the above, the production of the patterns has been time consuming and comparatively costly. Also, in the assembly technique, problems have been encountered in maintaining the required tolerances and uniformity of shape.